Neil Burton > Mills & Reeve LLP > Cambridge, England > Lawyer Profile

Mills & Reeve LLP acts on behalf of prestige clients such as the British Library and the Natural History Museum on commercial, regulatory, and governance matters. Jointly leading the department are Mark Ashton and Neil Burton, the latter of whom is based between Cambridge and London. Andrea Newman advises on real estate matters, while Rebecca Pallot is a key contact for employment matters in the charity sector.

The charities and social enterprise practice at Mills & Reeve LLP has an ‘exceptional team‘ and clients praise practice head Neil Burton as ‘an outstanding lawyer and refreshing to work with‘. The firm has a deep, multi-disciplinary group in its Cambridge office, which supports national and regional charities such as Francis Crick Institute and Royal Society of Chemistry. Charity finance partner Sarah Seed, fundraising specialist Dona Ardeman, and employment expert Nicola Brown are among the key advisers to the not-for-profit sector. Lucinda Brown, who joined from Broadfield Law UK LLP in late 2023, is a specialist in resolving issues affecting trusts and estates, and she works closely with the charities teams.

At Mills & Reeve LLP, Cambridge-based Neil Burton and Birmingham-based Adam Williams co-head the team, which works for many of the UK’s largest and most prominent charities and social enterprises. Williams, who was promoted to the partnership in June 2024, specialises in advising on governance and charity law regulations. He often advises universities throughout the country on charity law issues, and leads the firm’s philanthropy offering. Lucy Howard plays a pivotal role in the department too. Howard focuses on advising on contested legacies. She frequently advises charities on the validity of will provisions, and acts on their behalf in relation to claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.

Mills & Reeve LLP has dedicated teams throughout its various offices nationally, which work for all types of charities including some of the largest charities in England and Wales. It regularly assists membership societies, health, social care, and medical research charities, as well as heritage and arts-related charities. It is also skilled at advising on philanthropy-related mandates. Practice head Neil Burton divides his time between the Cambridge and London offices.

Mills & Reeve LLP is well known for working on complex and significant education-related matters, such as mergers and collaborations. The department also assists with regulatory, freedom of information, data protection, litigation and liability issues. Martin Priestley leads the nationwide team with vast experience in assisting with major projects such as the University of Sussex outsourcing, taking over the shared lead with Gary Attle, who now focuses on the ongoing changes to education law and policy affecting the sector. Richard Sykes is adept at handling a wide range of education work, in particular governance and student disputes. While Poppy Short is skilled in the full range of commercial and corporate issues, and Sarah Seed specialises in lending to universities, Neil Burton assists universities and charities. Key employment education specialists are Nicola Brown and Alex Russell. Richard Noble, Christian Bull and Jennifer Lewis  who supports clients with property needs, while Alexandra Pike leads the construction team. Helen Tringham assists with data protection compliance, student claims and cyber-attack responses; Jonathan Greenwood handles transactions; Jens Henniker Heaton is adept in student accommodation projects and Mark Pearce specialises in IP.